Multi-distributor burner plate apparatus

ABSTRACT

A multi-distributor burner plate apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a distributor plate and a housing extending outwardly from the distributor plate. The housing includes a bore extending from a first end of the housing to a second end of the housing and is configured to receive a burner control cartridge apparatus therein, wherein the bore is in mating alignment with a central opening of the distributor plate to permit air and fuel to flow through the multi-distributor burner plate apparatus and enter a burner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to combustion equipment and more particularly to burners for use with combustion equipment.

Various types of burners are known and used for providing heat input to industrial processes such as heat treating, drying, and/or baking. As used herein the term “combustion chamber” refers to any structure containing one or more burners, for example an oven or drying chamber.

Typically burners are connected to a distributor plate that provides various connection points for the burners, for example, air and fuel connections. One of the problems of this design is that the distributor plates do not permit a user to easily change the type of burner setup being used (multi-zone, multi-pattern, etc.) without removing the distributor plate entirely. This results in having to disconnect all of the connections, removing the distributor plate, installing a new distributor plate, and reconnecting all of the connections.

Accordingly, there is a need for a multi-distributor plate apparatus that allows a user to change the type of burner without disconnecting and reconnecting all of the connections.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This problem is addressed by the present invention, which provides a mutli-distributor plate apparatus and burner control cartridge apparatus that permits a user to change the type of burner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing multi-distributor burner plate apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of apparatus of FIG. 1 with a multi-zone burner control cartridge installed;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the multi-zone burner control cartridge installed;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with a pattern burner control cartridge installed;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the pattern burner control cartridge installed;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view showing a valve plate and tube used in the pattern burner control cartridge of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with a balancing tube cartridge installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an exemplary multi-distributor burner plate apparatus 10. The basic components of the apparatus 10 are a distributor plate 11, a housing 12, and a burner control cartridge apparatus 25 (FIGS. 4, 7, and 9). It should be appreciated that depending on the burner design, the burner control cartridge apparatus 25 may include a burner control cartridge and burner tubes (zone, balancing, etc.) that extend into the burner or may only include a burner control cartridge and no burner tubes. It should be appreciated that the housing 12 may be connected to the plate 11 by fasteners or other means such as welding or may be integrally formed with the plate 11 to provide a unitary construction. It should also be appreciated that the plate 11 and housing 12 may be made from a material with suitable strength and heat-resistance characteristics for use in an oven environment. For example, the plate 11 and housing 12 may be formed from a metal alloy.

The plate 11 includes a base flange 14 to permit mounting of the assembly 10 to a burner, such as a burner for a commercial baking oven, and a raised portion 16 from which the housing 12 extends outwardly. The raised portion 16 includes view ports 17 and 18 and an electrode port 19. As shown, the electrode port 19 is an open passage extending through the raised portion 16 and the plate 11 to permit an electrode 35 (FIG. 3) to be inserted therethrough to ignite a burner. The electrode port 19 includes a removable spring clip 15 to allow electrodes 35 of various sizes to be positioned and secured in the electrode port 19. A test port (not shown) may also be included to allow a user to sample air/gas ratios using a testing instrument such as a plasma analyzer.

As illustrated, view ports 17 and 18 include covers 17A and 18A pivotally connected to the raised portion 16 to allow the covers 17A and 18A to cover the view ports 17 and 18 when not in use and to pivot out of the way, thereby exposing the view ports 17 and 18, when in use. It should be appreciated that, in some circumstances, the raised portion 16 may not be necessary—in which case, the plate 11 would only include the base flange 14. In such a case, the housing 12 would extend outwardly from the base flange 14 and all ports 17, 18, 19 and covers 17A, 18A would be formed in or pivotally attached to the base flange 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flange 14 includes a central opening 20 for receiving a pipe of a burner therein (See FIG. 5). The central opening 20 being positioned for mating alignment with an internal bore 22 of the housing 12.

The housing 12 includes a port 21 for connecting to a conduit (rigid/flexible pipe, hose, etc.) transporting air and gas to a burner 33. As shown, the port 21 extends from a side of the housing 12 and communicates with the internal bore 22, FIG. 3, extending from a first open end 23 to a second open end 24 of the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the second open end 24 is mated to and/or formed with the raised portion 16 of the plate 11 and the bore 22 aligns and communicates with the central opening 20 of the flange 14.

The bore 22 is a multi-diameter bore, i.e., has different diameter sections. For example, the bore 22 includes a first bore section 26 having a first diameter D1, a second bore section 27 having a second diameter D2, a third bore section 28 having a third diameter D3, and a fourth bore section 29 having a fourth diameter D4. As shown, the fourth diameter is substantially equal to a diameter of the central opening 20. The various bore section diameters are designed to permit the housing 12 to receive the burner control cartridge apparatus 25. The burner control cartridge apparatus 25 may include any type of burner control cartridge that provides a user with a desired control. For example, the burner control cartridge apparatus 25 may be a multi-zone cartridge 30 (FIG. 5), a multi-pattern cartridge 31 (FIG. 7), and/or a balancing tube cartridge 32 (FIG. 8) discussed below.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an example burner control cartridge apparatus 25 using the multi-zone cartridge 30 is installed in the bore 22 of the housing 12 to permit a burner 33 to operate as a multi-zone burner. For example, the cartridge 30 is a tri-zone cartridge to allow the burner 33 to operate as three independent zones; however, other configurations such as a five zone or seven zone cartridge may be used.

As illustrated, the cartridge 30 is inserted into the bore 22 such that a first end 34 of the cartridge 30 resides in bore section 28 and abuts against an interior wall 36 of the bore 22 to prevent the cartridge 30 from entering bore section 29. A second end 37 of the cartridge 30 resides in bore section 26 and includes a ring 38 to secure and/or adjust the cartridge 30 within the bore 22. For example, the ring 38 and bore section 26 may include mating threaded sections 40 and 41 to permit the ring 38 to move the cartridge inwardly and outwardly in the bore 22 by rotating the ring clockwise and counter-clockwise.

The cartridge 30 includes zone adjustment screws 42-43 to adjust air and gas flow for each zone, i.e. three adjustment screws for a tri-zone cartridge. The adjustment screws move a plunger 44 to restrict or open gas flow channels 46, thereby controlling the amount of gas and air flowing through each flow channel 46 into a mating burner zone tube 70. It should be appreciated that the burner control cartridge apparatus 25 may include cartridge 30 with burner zone tubes 70 or cartridge 30 without burner zone tubes 70. In cases where the burner zone tubes 70 are part of the burner 33, burner zone tubes 70 would not be included with cartridge 30; however in cases where the burner 33 is an open pipe, the burne zone tubes 70 would be included with cartridge 30 and when installing the burner control cartridge apparatus 25, the tubes 70 would pass through the bore 22 and into the burner 33 until the first end 34 of the cartridge 30 abuts against wall 36.

A cap 47 is installed over the first open end 23 to cover the first open end 23 of the bore 22. The cap 47 may be installed by a press-fit connection, threaded connection, and/or fastened connection (fasteners extending through the cap 47 into threaded apertures 48, shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate an example burner control cartridge apparatus 25 using the multi-pattern cartridge 31 in the bore 22. The cartridge 31 allows a user to adjust the pattern of a burner, i.e. control the location of flames along the burner. For example, the cartridge 31 allows a user to adjust the burner 33 to only provide heat in a center of the burner 33 or on only the ends of the burner 33 or over the entire length of the burner 33, etc. The cartridge 31 includes a cap 50 connected to the first open end 23 by fasteners 77 engaged with apertures 48 to cover the first open end 23, a valve plate 51 connected to a pattern adjustment knob 52 by a rod 53, and a compression spring 54 configured to press the valve plate 51 against tube holder 56. As shown, the cap 50 includes indicia “Near”, “Center”, “Level”, “Far”, and “Ends” to allow a user to align an arrow on the knob 52 to be rotated to a desired pattern.

The tube holder 56 is connected to burner tube 71 and includes an inner wall 72 that extends the length of the burner tube 71 to divide the burner tube 71 into two halves “A” and “B”, thereby allowing different patterns to be formed with a single burner tube 71. The valve plate 51 includes an elongated slot 73 that directs air and gas into one and/or both of the two halves A, B of the burner tube 71. Rotation of the pattern adjustment knob 52 rotates the valve plate 51. By rotating the valve plate 51, the slot 73 is rotated with respect to the two halves A, B of the burner tube 71. For example, the slot 73 could be positioned to allow equal amounts of air and gas into the two halves A, B, to allow only air and gas into one of the two halves A, B, to allow no air and gas to flow into the burner tube 71, and/or to allow disproportionate amounts of air and gas into the two halves A, B.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example burner control cartridge apparatus using a balancing tube cartridge 32 is installed in the bore 22 of the housing 12. The cartridge 32 allows a user to balance the thermal energy produced by the burner along a length of the burner, thereby providing a more efficient burner capable of providing an even heat across the length of the burner 33. Cartridge 32 includes a balancing tube 60 extending from inside bore 22 through opening 20 and into burner 33. As illustrated, the balancing tube 60 is supported in position by bushing 61. Bushing 61 is positioned in bore section 28 such that a first end 62 of the bushing abuts against interior wall 36 of the bore 22. A compression spring 63 is positioned between a second end 64 of the bushing 61 and a cap 66 to maintain the bushing in bore section 28, thereby maintaining the bushing 61 and balancing tube 60 in position during use. The cap 66 may be secured to the first open end 23 by threaded connection 67 or by fasteners engaged with apertures 48 to seal the first open end 23.

The balancing tube 60 includes a plurality of apertures 76 distributed along its length from which thermal energy is released, i.e., flames, etc. The apertures 76 have different diameters that progressively increase in diameter from the distributor plate to a distal end of the burner 33. In other words, the apertures closest to the air and gas inlet are smaller than the apertures furthest from the air and gas inlet. This pattern enables the pressure along the burner to be equalized.

In operation, the multi-distributor burner plate apparatus 10 allows a user to modify the operation of a burner without disconnecting a burner plate and separate control mechanism from the burner. Instead, the multi-distributor plate apparatus 10 is connected to burner 33. A user then decides what type of burner control is desired. For example, does the user want to control the pattern of the burner, FIGS. 6-8, or does the user want to control multiple zones individually, FIGS. 4 and 5. Once the type of control is chosen, a user inserts a burner control cartridge apparatus 25 into the bore 22 of the housing 12. If a different control is desired for a different application, the user removes the burner control cartridge apparatus 25 and inserts a different burner control cartridge apparatus 25 into the bore 22 of the housing 12.

The foregoing has described a multi-distributor burner plate apparatus. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed. 

We claim:
 1. A multi-distributor burner plate apparatus, comprising: (a) a distributor plate; and (b) a housing extending outwardly from the distributor plate, the housing including a bore extending from a first end of the housing to a second end of the housing and being configured to receive a burner control cartridge apparatus therein, wherein the bore is in mating alignment with a central opening of the distributor plate to permit air and fuel to flow through the multi-distributor burner plate apparatus and enter a burner.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distributor plate includes at least one view port configured to allow a user to view into a burner.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a port positioned on a side of the housing in fluid communication with the bore, the port being configured to connect to a conduit to transport air and fuel into the bore of the housing, thereby providing air and fuel to a burner.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bore is a multi-diameter bore configured to receive different styles of burner control cartridge apparatuses therein.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the bore includes a first bore section having a first bore diameter, a second bore section having a second bore diameter, a third bore section having a third bore diameter, and a fourth bore section having a fourth diameter, wherein the fourth diameter is substantially equal to a diameter of the central opening.
 6. A multi-distributor burner plate apparatus, comprising: (a) a distributor plate; (b) a housing extending outwardly from and connected to the distributor plate, the housing including a bore extending from a first end of the housing to a second end of the housing, wherein the bore is positioned for mating alignment with a central opening of the distributor plate to permit air and fuel to flow through the multi-distributor burner plate apparatus and into a burner; and (c) a burner control cartridge apparatus configured to control the burner, the burner control cartridge apparatus being positioned in the bore of the housing such that the burner control cartridge apparatus controls the flow of the air and fuel entering the burner.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the distributor plate includes a base flange and a raised portion extending outwardly from the base flange.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the housing extends outwardly from the raised portion, the raised portion includes: (a) at least one view port configured to allow a user to view into a burner; and (b) an electrode port configured support an electrode therein.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the burner control cartridge apparatus includes a multi-zone cartridge configured to control a multi-zone burner.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the burner control cartridge apparatus includes a multi-pattern cartridge configured to control flame patterns of the burner to permit a user to control a location of heat along the length of the burner.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the burner control cartridge apparatus includes a balancing tube cartridge configured to balance thermal energy along a length of the burner.
 12. A method of controlling a burner, comprising the steps of: (a) connecting a multi-distributor burner plate apparatus to a burner; and (b) inserting a burner control cartridge apparatus into a housing of the apparatus, wherein the burner control cartridge apparatus provides a user with a specific control for the burner.
 13. The method according to claim 12, further including the steps of: (a) removing the burner control cartridge apparatus from the housing when the desired control has changed; and (b) inserting a new burner control cartridge apparatus into the housing to provide a different control. 